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"I would recommend Pope Benedict’s book 'Jesus of Nazareth' to everyone"
June 29, 2007
To date, the book has been published in Italy, Germany, Slovenia, Greece, Poland, the US, France and the UK.
Could you give us a brief presentation of the book Jesus of Nazareth by Pope Benedict XVI?
It’s a book written by a great theologian, one with a deep knowledge of Holy Scripture. You only have to recall that he was President of the Pontifical Biblical Commission for a quarter of a century, and never missed a single meeting. It shows in the way he comments on the texts. The book only contemplates one part of the life of Jesus: from the Baptism to the Transfiguration. A second volume will cover our Lord’s Infancy and the rest of his public life, culminating in the Paschal mystery of his Passion, Death and Resurrection.
Pope Benedict contemplates the figure of Jesus in the context of Biblical tradition, underlining the unity between the Old Testament and the New Testament. It is significant that the Introduction starts by speaking of Moses, and how he foretold that “the Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me”; and then goes on to show that Jesus, announced by Moses, is greater than him because he contemplates God face to face (cf. Jn 1:18).
Going by what he writes in this book, who is Jesus for the Pope?
Pope Benedict XVI acknowledges and values all that has been done in the history of biblical studies to learn to know more about Jesus. At the same time, he says that the true image of Jesus can only be achieved in union with the tradition that, without neglecting history, presents Jesus as risen from the dead and as the Saviour of mankind. And so he says right from the beginning of the book that his starting-point is the conviction, born of faith, that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. He does not set faith and history in conflict, because the Jesus of the Gospels is the historical figure who is proclaimed by the faith of the Church.
This is the faith proclaimed in the Council of Chalcedon on the person of the Incarnate Word, true God and true Man. From this perspective, the Pope contemplates and analyses various scenes from Christ’s life, drawing out of them the teachings needed by Christians today, and showing that the figure of Jesus is always up to date, and never declines into the past.
Who would you recommend this book to?
Pope Benedict is a theologian, but he has written a book that is accessible for any Christian who has a minimum of religious background, knows the basics of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, and is acquainted with the Gospels. So I’d recommend it to everyone, because of the clear, direct way it is written. Now, admittedly there are certain erudite references, deriving from his long study of theology and his deep knowledge of the Bible, but in spite of that the book is, in my opinion, a straightforward and pleasant read.
You knew St Josemaría Escrivá very well. Perhaps you even heard him talk about Jesus of Nazareth. When you read the Pope’s book, did it evoke memories of anything St Josemaría said about Jesus Christ?
When I first heard St Josemaría speak, in 1975, I was impressed by his ability to pass on his great love for Jesus Christ. I remember how he invited people to “get inside” the Gospel scenes often, to follow Jesus’ life “like one of the people there”. Seeking some points of convergence with the Pope’s book, I would say that the invitation he makes to “drink at the springs of God’s word” is something that St Josemaría tried to live by from the very outset of his priesthood. His knowledge of the Gospel, his familiarity with the inspired text, was something quite remarkable. Another point would be the way one and the other make Jesus the heart and centre of Christianity, something that is obvious and natural, but that is not always done in practice.
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